The King opens the Bothnia Line

Motiv: The King at the opening of the Bothnia Line in Umeå. The King joins together two wooden rail sections held by City Director Jan Björing and Chairman of the Municipal Council Marie-Louise Rönnmark. Photo: Henrik Montgomery/Scanpix.

On Saturday 28 August, The King opened the Bothnia Line. The railway line runs from Ångermanlandälven, immediately north of Kramfors Airport, via Örnsköldsvik, Husum, Nordmaling, Hörnefors and Umeå.

The King arrived in Kramfors, where the first opening ceremony took place. The King then took part in opening ceremonies in Örnsköldsvik, Nordmaling and Umeå.

The day was rounded off with a meal at the Governor's official residence in Umeå.

In his speech, The King explained that "the Bothnia Line runs from Ångermanälven to Umeå, linking the four coastal municipalities. It also forms an effective link between the Ådal Line and the Northern Main Line, thus making the Bothnia Line extremely important from a broader perspective. With these words I would like to wish the line every success, and I hope that the Bothnia Line will contribute towards the development of the region."

The Bothnia Line runs through two provinces and five municipalities, and is 190 kilometres long.

In August 2011, the Bothnia Line will be linked to the Ådal Line and thereby with the East Coast Line. This will allow trains to run north via the Main Line towards Kiruna and south towards Stockholm and onwards to Europe.